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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Beltsville, Maryland (BARC) » Beltsville Agricultural Research Center » Animal Parasitic Diseases Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #333207
Title: E-cadherin and its regulator ZEB2 control the development of the placental folds by modulating trophoblast cell differentiation in pigs

Author
item HONG, LINJUN - Non ARS Employee
item HAN, K - Huazhong Agricultural University
item WU, K - Huazhong Agricultural University
item Lunney, Joan
item RUIZE, LIU - Huazhong Agricultural University
item HUANG, JI - Huazhong Agricultural University
item ZHAO, SHUHONG - Huazhong Agricultural University
item YU, MEI - Huazhong Agricultural University

Submitted to: Reproduction
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/17/2018
Publication Date: 12/1/2017
Citation: Hong, L., Han, K., Wu, K., Lunney, J.K., Ruize, L., Huang, J., Zhao, S., Yu, M. 2017. E-cadherin and its regulator ZEB2 control the development of the placental folds by modulating trophoblast cell differentiation in pigs. Reproduction. 154:765-775. https://doi.org/10.1530/REP-17-0254
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1530/REP-17-0254

Interpretive Summary: Development of the pig fetus is critically dependent on the placenta. In this manuscript we compared placental development of a traditional Western breed, Yorkshire, to a reproductively prolific Chinese breed, Meishan. We proposed that analyses of differentiation of pig trophoblast cells would reveal crucial roles, e.g., in placental folds development, that would identify essential events that regulate placental efficiency. Our immunohistochemical analyses verified that shape changes in trophoblast cells were important; membranous proteins E-cadherin and beta-catenin were strongly expressed at the top of the placental folds but very weakly expressed by those cuboidal trophoblast cells at the side and bottom of these folds. This difference is likely regulated by ZEB2, the E-cadherin repressor, which was intensively expressed in the E-cadherin-negative cuboidal trophoblast cells. In reproductively prolific Meishan pigs there is an increase in complexity of placental folds that is associated with their trophoblast cell features, i.e., all their trophoblast cells were cuboidal in shape and E-cadherin-negative but ZEB2-positive. We concluded that there is a ZEB2 dependent mechanism by which the E-cadherin-negative trophoblast cells promote placental folds development and thus improved fetal development as found in Meishan pigs.

Technical Abstract: The development of mammalian fetus is critically dependent on the placental efficiency. The pig trophoblast cells differentiation has crucial roles in placental folds development which is one of the essential events to determine the placental efficiency. This study found that the membranous E-cadherin and beta-catenin were strongly expressed by the columnar trophoblast cells located at the top of the placental folds but very weakly expressed by those cuboidal trophoblast cells at the side and bottom of the placental folds. In addition, the E-cadherin-negative cuboidal trophoblast cells were demonstrated to still preserve their epithelial features. Similarly, we observed much more intense PAS staining in the E-cadherin-positive columnar trophoblast cells than in the E-cadherin-negative cuboidal cells. In contrast, ZEB2, the E-cadherin repressor, was lost in the E-cadherin-positive columnar trophoblast cells but intensively expressed in the E-cadherin-negative cuboidal trophoblast cells. Furthermore, we provide evidence to show that the increase in complexity of placental folds in Meishan pigs is associated with their trophoblast cell features, i.e., that all cells were cuboidal in shape and E-cadherin-negative but ZEB2-positive. The results suggest a ZEB2 dependent mechanism by which the E-cadherin-negative trophoblast cells promote placental folds development in pigs.